As the only survivor of a rare birth, Reyna Miracle has never felt like she
belonged.When a horrible tragedy
strikes during her graduate courses at Oxford, she spirals down a dark and sexy
path with Hayden, her deceased best friend's
brother.But when Liam Darby, a
mistake from her past reappears, Reyna's world begins to crumble as the two
men fight for a love that she can't even accept for
herself.

“You’re so confusing,
Hayden,” I reply, my voice embarrassingly breathy as he stands only a foot
away from me now. His eyes are glossy with obvious lust. Pure, undiluted lust.
“You kiss me and run away, then kiss me and tell me I can do better. I
don’t know what you’re even
saying.”

He licks his lips thoughtfully. “I’m
saying that tonight when you showed up looking the way you did…” he
pauses as his eyes drift down my body. His heated expression makes me feel every
drop of hot blood coursing through my veins. “I wanted to have you right
then and there. But not in a club full of people. I wanted you in the privacy of your
bedroom…where the curves of your hips, the rise of your chest, the moisture
on your lips…are for me and me
alone.”

I exhale at his guttural tone and am embarrassed
when a throaty noise comes out of my mouth. He takes this noise as permission and
moves in closer, his posture hunched as he looks down at me. “So, I’m
sorry for some things, Vi. But I’m not sorry for interfering. To ask me to just
walk away when a prat like Ethan Simmons worms himself within inches of your
mouth…your fucking mouth that I’ve touched with my lips…lips
that I have claimed as mine in a thousand different fantasies…No, Vi. No.
I’m not going to be sorry for
that.”

“But you
said—”

“Stuff what I said. I can’t stay away
from you.” The words rush out of his mouth as he harshly grabs me by the
waist. His bruising, firm grip shoves up the stretchy fabric of my top as his lips find
mine in a desperate, needy kiss. He greedily yanks the cups of my bra down and
caresses my nipples in such a way that I rip my mouth away from his and let out a
strangled cry. I’m not all together certain I’ve ever heard that sound
come from my mouth before.

He releases my nipples to pull my top off over my
head, revealing my lacey red bra tucked firmly beneath my breasts, pushing them up
for his lustful perusal. He drops an open mouthed kiss on each of them before
standing back up straight. Groaning in frustration, he pauses his assault and looks
into my eyes. A warmth blossoms in his gaze as he wraps his arms around me,
holding me close. “I’m terrified, Vi…of so much. But I
don’t have the strength to walk away from you again. You make me
weak.”

I exhale with relief and anxiety over his comment,
feeling my emotions at odds. I’ve been wanting Hayden Clarke to let me in
since he first kissed me outside my building. But what does it mean when he says he
feels weak around me? Am I capable of hurting him? I lick my lips and guide him
down to my level. “Maybe with time I can make you
strong.”

Amy Daws is a commercial producer and lives in
South Dakota with her husband and daughter. The long-awaited birth of Lorelei is
what inspired her passion for writing. Amy is a lover of all things British and her
award-nominated romantic comedy series, The London Lovers Series, is centered
around Americans in London. It's emotional and self-deprecating with lots of
humor sprinkled in. On most nights, you can find Amy and her family dancing to
Strawberry Shortcake’s theme song or stuffing themselves inside
children’s-sized playhouses because there is nothing they wouldn’t
do for their little miracle.